Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Trail markings

Since it is my first time "Hiking Mt.W." I like to go the easies way to the top.My question is : Is the trail marked for hike and/or MR ??

Easiest hmmm, well like John Muir said, the soft people should take the mule trail which is now the main Whitney trail.( The one you need to get in the lottery for) Its not marked but easily navigated, a map is all you need. A compass could make you feel more comfy. Just so you know youre in the right place. The MR takes a little more skill. There is no maintained trail on the MR so its called a user trail, just there from people walking on it. The trail is not always visible. You definitely need some guidance to get through this way but its the shortest route. Get a guide book and a map and a compass. Main trail 11 miles, MR Mountaineers Route 4.7 miles. Thatz one way to the summit.

snokone ,pls contact me on email

you might also want to get a handheld GPS as a BACKUP, not for primary navigation. you can download waypoints to it to help find your way up and down.

If you will be hiking the main trail during the busy climbing season you need have no worries about losing the trail. Just follow everyone else. Even if you find yourself alone the trail is very easy to follow. A map and compass is always a good just-in-case idea. A GPS is a fun toy - you could even use it to look for the two geocaches on the summit.

There are documented reports of people getting off the trail, becoming dis-oriented and being stranded for days. Get a map, study it, get familiar with the terrain. On my first trip we accidentally strayed from the trail in a rocky section near Keeler needle. We ended up descending down the west slope towards the John Muir Trail when we realized our error. It is a well established, highly traveled trail, but dont take the navigation too lightly.
-Rick

As a matter of fact it happened last weekend. A friend of mine hiking out from UBSL came upon and man and woman at LBSL asking if this was Lone Pine Lake and how much further is it to Trail Camp.

is a topo map needed or will a map from a guide book do just fine? are there many people on the trail at 2 am and at all times? how much time can I expect to go without seeing people at one time? thx

Hey, Stp, You sound like you need a good book to read about climbing Mt. Whitney. There are several, although they become obsolete quickly due to the USFS rule changes. Go to Amazon.com and browse around, and read the reviews.

The MR is marked by a sign, North Fork, and it goes up very steeply to enter brush and willows. I can hardly see how people get on this route with the 8 foot wide graded main trail going straight ahead, but I guess some do.

I didn't have a good map my first time, but had studied a topo. There's just one main trail to the top, and the only junction you can go the wrong way is a few hundred yards past Trail Crest (signed) at 13,400'. You can wait for someone to come by, if you're unsure, as there will be dozens all day, if I know this trail and peak.

4X: In the past wasn't there a sign at the previous stream crossing that said something like: "THIS IS NOT THE MOUNTAINEER'S ROUTE..."? Have heard about it but a little before my time.

Echoing what others have said: in the dark it is possible to mistake the right turn up the MR for the Main Trail (a couple of guys did it in the dark on June 10). Some people don't realize that there isn't anything as difficult as this section of "use" trail on Main Trail, and don't bother to turn around until they are way off-route.

The important thing to remember when you get to the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek stream crossing is to "veer left and cross the stream."

I think that I recall that the MAIN trail does do a turn to the left at the creek and I recall hesitating since there seemed to be a trail off to the right, also. This may be because I do follow climber's trails and have a pretty good eye for "way trails" and it might have caught my attention.

I also have a picture of the "this is not the Mountaineers Route" sign that I took last year. I found it curious that they posted a NOT sign. It was only later that I learned about the Mountaineer's Route and see why they finally posted a sign to keep people from bushwacking another misleading path.

Just last month coming down the North Fork, we met some folks just below LBSL who had realized they must not be on the regular trail. The EB ledges were kind of scarry for them and they wanted to know the easiest way to get from there to Mirror lake. The lady asked if it would just be easier to climb over Thor peak, since they didn't want to climb back down the EB ledges.

It probably happens more often these days. Stay on the bigger trail.

We you start up the trail about 5-10 minutes you can clearly see up the North Fork Canyon (straight west) and Mount Whitney. That is not the canyon you want to be going up. The canyon more to the left (south west) is the canyon the regular trail goes up. Thor Peak sits between the two. When you get to the first large river you cross it and keep going. That will keep you on the Mount Whitney trail.